Outrage over NBC’s Warning to ARISE TV

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

Condemnations have trailed the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC)’s warning to ARISE NEWS Channel over what the commission perceived as “offensive and inflammatory comments” made on the network.
NBC had on Friday issued a last warning to the television station regarding their alleged use of offensive and provocative language on their channel.
The warning was conveyed through a letter titled “Prevalence of Offensive and Inflammatory Comments: Final Warning,” signed by the Director General of NBC, Dr Balarabe Shehu Ilelah.

But in its reaction, Amnesty International (AI) has criticised the federal government for using regulations to suppress press freedom.
While expressing its disapproval on its social media platform, X (formerly Twitter), the international rights group asserted that the federal government was unwilling to be held accountable, and had resorted to employing regulations as a means to target and exert influence over the media.

“Amnesty International condemns the ‘final warning’ issued to @ARISEtv by the FG through National Broadcasting Commission (NBC). Targeting Arise TV simply for doing their work sends the wrong message that Nigerian authorities are not prepared to be held accountable.
“Nigerian authorities must stop the unrelenting quest to silence media organizations like @ARISEtv, which are crucial to ensuring independent and diverse media space in the country and fulfilling people’s right to information.

“Using regulations as a way to silence independent journalism is completely unacceptable. The media in Nigeria should be free to exercise their right to freedom of expression as protected by international law,” the international rights group explained.
Also reacting, Nollywood actor and legal practitioner, Mr. Kenneth Okonkwo, has also cautioned the Director General of the NBC against using his (Okonkwo’s) name “disrespectfully” in his communication with media houses.

Okonkwo insisted that the Ilelah must publicly apologise to him for infringing on his fundamental right to hold views, without let or hindrance, on issues of national importance.
Okonkwo, who made his position known in a letter entitled, ‘Open letter to Mr. Balarabe Shehu Ilelah, DG National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC),’ however, said Ilelah should be sympathised with.

The letter read: “I read the letter written by Mr. Balarabe Shehu Ilelah, DG of NBC, and wish to state as follows:
“I sympathise with him in this unfortunate journey intended to please his employers, but state that he would have been wiser and more circumspect in going about it.
“Maybe he is not aware that the court has decided that NBC has no power to fine or sanction any media house. Intimidating or manipulating the media house is a form of sanction and is unlawful.

“He ill-advisedly mentioned my name in his letter as making an unguarded utterance simply because I confirmed that the Chicago State University certificate, which BAT submitted to INEC, was forged, for the simple reason that the university has expressly stated that the certificate did not come from them, which is the condition necessary to prove forgery.

“This statement is an outright infringement on my fundamental human rights as enshrined in Sections 38 and 39, which provide that “every person shall be entitled to freedom of thought…; every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression, including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas and information, ideas and information without interference”.

“It’s unfortunate that when all media houses condemned Mmesoma for forging her Jamb certificate, and rightly too, without being convicted by a court, simply because JAMB disowned her certificate, and rightly too, the DG didn’t write to any TV station or mention the name of any guest on TV who condemned such forgery. Now that the certificate of the President is disowned by the university that purportedly issued it, the DG has suddenly found his mouth to mention the names of the people who condemned such forgery of the certificate after the university disowned it and even wrote to the media house to threaten it.